Sky's the limit for bids as auction nears final countdown

Published on Sunday 7 January 2007 00:54

A HELICOPTER flight for four along the coastline of the East Neuk of Fife followed by drinks and lunch at a luxury hotel at the heart of the home of golf.

Singing lessons with Nicky Spence, the new golden boy of the Scottish classical scene whose first album of a 1m recording deal is released later this month.

Or a personal tour of Scotland's oldest distillery, followed by a full sampling of the range and a three-course lunch.

These are the three new tempting lots offered to readers as part of Scotland on Sunday's online auction to raise funds for the Sightsavers International charity.

But hurry up and place your bids, as the auction has to end tomorrow at 8pm. The winning bids will be announced in next weekend's Scotland on Sunday.

The auction has so far raised more than 5,400 for Sightsavers, which aims to prevent blindness in developing countries around the world.

Topping the bidding yesterday was a walk-on part in the hit TV series Rebus. Some 56 bids for TV glory had been placed, with a top bid of 1,800, up 750 in the past week. Also doing well was Alexander McCall Smith, known for his Edinburgh-based Scotland Street serialisation and the successful No 1 Ladies Detective Agency books set in Botswana. Sixty-nine bids had been received for lunch with McCall Smith and the top bid yesterday stood at 650.

The third most popular lot involves a trip to meet leading Scottish artist Jolomo at his studio in Tayvallich near Lochgilphead. The top bid yesterday stood at 570.

Bargains galore remain among the 33 lots, including dining out with Scotland on Sunday's restaurant critic, having your portrait taken by a top Scotland on Sunday photographer, a consultation with a leading garden designer, a one-room makeover by an interior designer and a meeting with business guru Sir Bill Gammell for less than 100.

The helicopter tour, starting in Edinburgh and landing at the five-star Fairmont St Andrews Bay resort, is already proving a popular lot since its inclusion in the online auction last week. So far, 57 bids have been received, with the leading bid at 415.

Meanwhile, the prospect of singing lessons with 23-year-old tenor Nicky Spence is also earning a lot of attention, with a top bid yesterday of 105.

Those who want to exercise their throat in a different way should turn their attention to the lot involving a day at the Famous Grouse at Crieff. The highlight will be a visit to the new malt warehouse where the winning bidder will get to sample the full Famous Grouse malt range, followed by a three-course Grouse Room lunch. The bidding starts at just 25.

Money raised by the online auction (part of Scotland on Sunday's Christmas appeal) will help Sightsavers to prevent blindness around the world. Just 27 will provide a cataract operation and save a child from a life of blindness. Just 1 will help distribute a drug that prevents river blindness to eight people in West African countries such as Sierra Leone.

Sightsavers International chief executive Caroline Harper said: "We're extremely grateful to all the individuals and organisations who have offered such exciting auction prizes and thrilled that Scotland on Sunday readers are supporting our work to prevent blindness in this way. With just over 24 hours of bidding left, let's hope that we can make one final push to help the people of Sierra Leone and countries like it."

If you want to donate to the Sightsavers charity without bidding in the auction, you can use the coupon on the left.